1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to lighted fishing rods generally and more particularly to such a rod wherein the light, batteries and switch are contained within the handle of the fishing rod.
2. DESCRIPTION OF PRIOR ART
Many people fish at night and require a source of light in order to perform many of the needed acts, such as changing a lure or hook, removing line tangles, netting a fish and other activities. Prior art devices such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,780,980 have provided a light in a fishing rod handle; however the light is not positioned where it will shine on the reel to allow a line tangle on the reel to be removed, nor will it shine in the water while the rod is being held in the hand to assist in netting a hooked fish. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,085,437, 2,565,633 and 2,646,641 show a light in the handle whose field of illumination is improved, but the light takes up so much of the handles extent that the rod blank has little penetration into and support by the rod handle. Other patents such as U.S. Pat. No. 3,017,499 show lights where the batteries are in the handle and the light is at the distal end of the rod blank, but again, the light is not at a location where it is fully useful and the rod blank has little penetration into and support by the rod handle.
3. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is a fishing rod wherein the handle is hollow and is made from a tubular light weight piece of material such as an aluminum or fiberglass impregnated resin tube on which is secured the reel seat and fore and aft of the reel seat is secured grasping material such as polyurethane foam or cork. The hollow rod blank, made of fiber reinforced resin, is pressed into the tubular piece of material and bonded thereto; the rod blank extending past the middle of the reel seat, so that a strong and integral rod blank and handle structure is created. Into the butt or proximal end of the hollow handle is placed a battery containing battery pack which has a light socket extending laterally therefrom, in the distal end thereof, with such distal end extending into and being received by the proximal end of the rod blank. A small lateral opening is formed in the rod blank, the tubular piece of material and the overlying grasping material, and a light bulb and reflector are placed therein. A sealing cover is secured to the grasping material to waterproof the light. A butt cap containing a switch is threaded on the proximal end of the hollow handle for activating the light circuit.